Three consecutive years of field experiments were conducted to investigate how different root-zone temperatures, manipulated by using different mulches, affect the phytoextraction of Ba, Cl, Sn, Pt and Rb in different organs of potato plants (roots, tubers, stems and leaves). Four different plastic covers were used (T1: transparent polyethylene; T2: white polyethylene; T3: white and black coext...

Soil phytoextraction is based on the ability of plants to extract contaminants from the soil. For less bioavailable metals, such as Pb, a chelator is added to the soil to mobilize the metal. The effect can be significant and in certain species, heavy metal accumulation can rapidly increase 10-fold. Accumulation of high levels of toxic metals may result in irreversible damage to the plant. Monit...

Phytoremediation is an emerging technology that employs higher plants to cleanup contaminated environments, including metal-polluted soils. Because it produces a biomass rich in extracted toxic metals, further treatment of this biomass is necessary. The aim of our study was to assess the five-year potential of the following native wild plants to produce biomass and remove heavy metals from a po...

Soil microorganisms drive critical functions in plant-soil systems. As such, various microbial properties have been proposed as indicators of soil functioning, making them potentially useful in evaluating the recovery of polluted soils via phytoremediation strategies. To evaluate microbial responses to metal phytoextraction using hyperaccumulators, a microcosm experiment was carried out to stud...

Three consecutive years of field experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of root temperatures induced by the application of mulches for phytoextraction of As, Ag, Cr and Sb using potato plants (roots, tubers, stems and leaflets). Four different plastic covers were used (T1: transparent polyethylene; T2: white polyethylene; T3: white and black coextruded polyethylene; and T4: blac...

Chemically enhanced phytoextraction has been proposed as an effective approach to removing heavy metals from contaminated soil through the use of high biomass plants. Using pot experiments, the effects of the application of EDTA, EDDS and citric acid on the uptake of Cu, Pb, Zn and Cd by corn (Zea mays L. cv. Nongda 108) and bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. white bean) plants were studied. The resul...

Clone stability and in vitro phytoextraction capacity of vegetative clones of P. x canescens (2n = 4x = 38) including two transgenic clones (ggs11 and lgl6) were studied as in vitro leaf disc cultures. Presence of the gshI-transgene in the transformed clones was detected in PCR reactions using gshI-specific primers. Clone stability was determined by fAFLP (fluorescent amplified DNA fragment len...

In this work, we have attempted to review the current knowledge on the impact of elevated CO2, O3, and UV on soils. Elevated CO2 increases labile and stabile soil C pool as well as efficiency of organic pollutants rhizoremediation and phytoextraction of heavy metals. Conversely, both elevated O3 and UV radiation decrease inputs of assimilates to the rhizosphere being accompanied by inhibitory e...

Phytoextraction is a remediation technology that uses plants to remove heavy metals from soil. The success of a phytoextraction process depends on adequate plant yield (aerial parts) and high metal concentrations in plant shoots. A paper towel experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of plants sunflower (Helianthus annuus), maize (Zea maize), pearl millet ( Sorghum bicolour), green g...

The application of Pb inhibited the development of mycelia of the saprobe fungi Fusarium concolor and Trichoderma koningii and the hyphal length of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM) Glomus mosseae and G. deserticola in vitro. The application to soil of 1500mg kg−1 of Pb decreases the dry weight, total N, P, Mg and Fe concentration and chlorophyll content of the shoot of E. globulus no inocu...